what race to mark on LS apps?

For any type of applicatons I usually just put asian but technically I am half chinese and half west indian (cant narrow to one country there), so should I just conform to what I usually do with my race or should I check other and write asian/west indian?Will putting both races give me an adtantage over just putting one race?thanks

For any type of applicatons I usually just put asian but technically I am half chinese and half west indian (cant narrow to one country there), so should I just conform to what I usually do with my race or should I check other and write asian/west indian?Will putting both races give me an adtantage over just putting one race?thanks

You could probably mark other and write in biracial - 1/2 chinese and 1/2 west indian. I doubt it will give you an advantage because neither of those races are considered URMs.

I have a similar question-- I wrote in (or checked two when possible) Amer. Indian and White (I didn't think it was right to check only Amer. Indian when I am about 20%). Does that qualify me as a minority or will it (likely) vary from school to school? I included a diversity statement, but focused on socioeconomic and education factors, but not race.

SCgrad

What race is "West Indian?" I always thought that meant of African descent. If so, then you should be putting "black."

As for arhodg, unless you are an official member of a tribe and have lived within that society, you shouldn't be marking "American Indian".

I disagree with this, are you saying that a full blown Native American who no longer associates with a specific tribe is not Native American? What is he? You should mark what you are. What you honestly believe you are. If you believe you are part Native American, you should put it. I am 3/32 Native American (as far as I know) but I don't feel it the least bit (although I do have a few Native American physical traits). If I did, I would check it.

Thanks SC. I ended up putting both because I indentify with both, even though my friends (who are less than me actually) usually only put NA to reap the benefits of AA.

Personally, I think the whole living within society thing is a little silly. Not everyone that is NA lives in a tribe. In fact, the people I know who really got me into the annual meetings and stuff in my area live in Colonial Williamsburg b/c that is where they work. One is 80some percent. Is she any less NA? Does she identify any less? If I were Hispanic and lived in an all-white suburb would it make me any less Hispanic?

Also, I'm a member of more than one tribe, but because on side of my family traces back to the south and at the time of segregation you could check only black or white (no city official would let anyone mark any other race) it is pretty much impossible to track down that side (family records of poor people in history really aren't kept, suprise!).

Anyway, thanks everyone for your input here and elsewhere, it was very helpful and I think I ultimately made the right chocie for me!

I'm sorry, I have a problem when a caucasian who is like 1/16th Native American tries to claim the ethnicity for his or her advantage. It's even annoying when they do so to establish some sort of "exotic" ancestry.

I am 1/4th Native American. I have no ties to the Native American community and no real connection with the Native American experience. Therefore, I don't claim to be Native American.

I don't mean you need to physically live within a tribal community. I mean you should readily identify yourself as a member of the ethnic group and have first-hand familiarity with the particular challenges that group faces.

My point is that it is about much more than any trace amounts along your bloodline. You already know from your life's experiences if you belong to an ethnic group. If you have to ask if, then you aren't.

Actually, I visited the NA community every chance I had. Not as much as I would like (b/c I couldn't afford it), but took in a lot of the culture from research etc (my interest dates to before I knew how much I was, prior to my parents' seperation I thought it was about 1/10th).

Also, I'm not 1/16th, I am also 1/4 (since the other side of the family tree is ambiguous, I know it is between 20-30%, so I will stick with the median, even though I gave a conservative estimate earlier). I know you can qualify with as little as 1/16th, but I would never do that and when I thought I was 1/8th I didn't include it on my app.

Even though I didn't face challenges specifially as a NA, anything I faced as a member of minority group at home made me realize more about hatred than I ever would have living on the mainland (where it is still not clear I am NA). I faced poverty, hatred, and abuse to an extent that is not representative solely in my race. Growing up in Hawaii also gave me a unique appreciation for being MULTI-racial. Practically everyone at home is mixed and even those kids who were like 5% Hawaiian would claim that part of their heritage. So, basically, I identify far more with minority groups than I do with white people because, until I was 18, I never had the experience of being in a majority.

I asked to gain experience from people in the community who may have faced the same dilemma at some point. I have always had to go through these processes by myself because no one in my family has had experience like this (applying to college, much less grad or prof. school) and I was looking for support.

Going along the same point I think you were trying to make, you should know someone's full experience before bashing them or their decisions.